Lots of stuff out of the kiln today. Finally, "Hello Tiki," the custom mug as (very) belated XMas gift, is finished. Textured turquoise glaze overall, w/ a few colored highlights, w/ a lime green interior (sorry, bad glare from sunlight shooting in through a roll-up door):

The 'StacheTiki Tile is done- same glaze. I'm going to play w/ making molds w/ this guy (as practice):

CupTiki had to be reglazed, then re-fired since there was some dust left on the mug after sanding (and then wiping multiple times), which prevented the original glaze from adhering to the piece. I added more glaze in the spots that needed it, which then ran. This was a test piece for a future project. Not great looking, but the idea is there. The sleeve is built around the mug (it doesn't come off).
Soggy, running glaze:

I started digging into a new mug (no name yet, but inspired by one of VanTiki's tiles that I look at on a daily basis- clearly it's influenced me (Henrik, hope that's okay), along with a little Maurice Sendak "Where the Wild Things Are"). Sketched out the lines on the piece- I had added the brow and eyeballs last week:
Then started carving clay away. There's a lot more to go, but here's where I ended up. Watching Wendy step by steps has helped my approach to carving...

If you do the tile it will just be one piece. You need to roll out some clay and pour some slip on it to seal the tile to the clay to make sure the plaster can't get under the tile. Run a bit of clay around the edges and press in with your finger. I've done it in the past. Pour your plaster very slowly so the tile doesn't come loose and float up into the wet plaster. I kept a hand on my piece while pouring in the plaster. Messy but it helps. Wendy
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Thanks, Wendy. Who knows? I may try casting Reverend Rum, want to try making a mold soon. In the meantime, the second art swap piece was (finally) bisque fired, as well as the "Rum DMC" mug and lid/ hat.

I continued carving into the new mug- adding a few new lines, texture, as well as a plumeria carved into the back.

I glazed up the art swap piece- using a whole assortment of glazes that will hopefully turn into a cool water effect.,Also started glazing Reverend Rum. Look forward to seeing how these turn out.

Rev Rum is glazed and waiting to get fired. Tried a new combination of glazes, excited to see how it turns out.
(Though it's also posted in the Art Swap thread) I was relieved to see the Art Swap piece re-fired after adding some glaze to it. The added layers of lime and blue turned out great, and "stuck" to the original piece. There was a little graze cracking, but the added color really helps the piece. Whew. There was only a slight change in the look of the original glaze (really just inside the mug), so thumbs up.

I like your mugs. Your name on the bottom looks great. If you want to prevent your mugs from rocking, indenting the bottoms and just leaving a rim will do that. Or you can sand them. Wendy
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Thanks, Wendy- Great advice (as always). I usually push the bottoms in a bit to indent them. I find it easier to trim foot rings on a wheel, haven't tried with the handbuilt (extruded) cylinders. I am a believer in sanding them down as well- though I probably should do as much post-bisque firing prep (rinsing, drying) that I've watched you and Dan do to your own work.

First look (so to speak) at Ol' Skull Eyes (name a work in progress as well). Lots more carving and details to follow- plenty of time to work as I wait for the kiln to fire a few pieces (Rum DMC, Art Swap Sinking Moai, & new mug). Feedback, as always, is appreciated!